Chapter 52

Jake

My day was filled with meetings. When I got home at six I was drained. The minute I stepped out of the shower,I heard my phone.

“ Hello princess”.

“ You sound so tried love. I'm sure you just got home. Do me a favor. Go have your dinner and as soon as you're finished, Call me and I'll stay on the phone with you until you fall asleep “.

“ Thank you Baby. I'll call in twenty minutes okay”.

“ Okay, Go eat “.

I headed down and we had dinner together. After dinner I told the others to Lock up that I was heading to bed. I saw the way they looked at each other.

“ I'm just Tired that's all”. I said as I headed up to the room. Once there, I called her she answered immediately.

“ Hello Love”.

“ Hello princess “.

“ Jake, you're tired and it's okay. I'm safe, we're Both safe. Stop worrying for a while and close your eyes and go to sleep”.

“ I just Miss you, I really do. Somehow it not the same anymore “. I really did miss her . It felt like I wasn't the same person without her here.

“ Hug my pillow, I'm sure it smells like I do. Just think that I'm there with you and you're holding me”.

“ Okay. I love you Avery”.

“ I love you too Jake”.

I held her pillow and listened to her tell me all she would do when she got back home . I just listened to her voice and drifted off.

Avery

I knew when he fell asleep. Teo had called Landon and told Landon what was going on. Landon told us and he Also mentioned that Teo said Jake looked tired. I knew he wasn't sleeping well. I called sherry and asked her to prepare something nourishing for him. I knew I could get him to fall asleep if I stayed with him on the phone. I didn't need to say anything, he just needed that.

I checked the time, he had been asleep for Five hours at that point. I ate lunch with the phone. Irene looked at me confused,so I just wrote down Jake was asleep and I guess she understood. I used the time to go over some papers for my thesis. I laid in bed with the phone and read. It was almost Six in the morning back in Ryedale.

“ Princess?”. “ I'm Here Love “.

“Thank you. It's the first time in day's that I slept throughout the night”.

“ That's good. You needed it”.

“ I'll finish this and you can come back home. I don't like the way it is without you”.

“ That's okay, Be careful. I heard What's going on. Zach loves Alexis as much as you love me. He'll do anything for her ,he would even Kill for her”.

“ I figured he would. His father knows,I spoke to him yesterday and he's looking for him”.

“ Okay, that's good. I…. “.

I heard gunshots in the Background .

“ Jake?”.

“ I'll go check, I'll call you back in a few. I love you”.

“ Love you too “.

The call ended and I was left looking at my phone. I called for Landon and told him what happened. He said he'd call Teo. Irene said she was going to call Sherry and Esther. It was seven in the morning in Ryedale. I grabbed a quick shower and had a light dinner. It's been almost three hours and he hasn't called back.

I was pacing the back porch, Irene couldn't reach Esther or Sherry. She was worried. Landon came out and saw me.

“ Landon, what happened ?”.

He came and put me to sit down. He was preparing me for something bad . I looked at him. “ Landon?”.

“ Alexis, Zach and a few of their buddies sneaked into the house via your place. When Sherry opened the kitchen door to take out the garage they rushed in and locked the doors. Sherry and Esther both got shot”.

“ Landon, where's Jake?.”

“ Avery”.

“ WHERE IS HE?”.

“ He came out of the room to check what was going on , Alexis shot him twice. Teo and the others managed to get Alexis but . Zach ran. James and the others are looking for Zach and his buddies.They rushed the Boss to the hospital , Shawn is with him “.

No ,this can't really happen. He can't leave me. “ we're going home “. He looked like he wanted to say something but didn't.

“ Mrs Woods , it's night. The Jet will be here at sunrise. We'll head over to the mainland in the morning. I'll keep checking in with Shawn. The Boss will be okay “.

I wanted to cry. “ We don't know that”. My voice was starting to break and Landon just stood looking at me ,I saw the look of helplessness on his face. Irene came and held me . “ He's going to be okay. They'll all be okay. He won't want you to stress yourself out “.

“ I , just..I can't lose him Irene”.

“ And you won't “.

Jake


I opened my eyes and looked around. Where the hell was I?. I tried to sit up but was instantly in pain.

“ You're awake”. I looked to my right and she was sitting there. She came back. She started crying. “ Princess it's okay “.

“ No you're hurt, You've been asleep for Four days,I was scared “.

I pulled her towards me but she wouldn't get onto the bed. “ You're hurt”.
“ I'm better now that you're here “. The door opened and Shawn and Landon walked in followed by the doctor.

“ Mr Woods, Finally you've awake. Two gunshot wounds to the chest. How do you feel?”.

“ Like I was shot”.

The doctor just smirked. “ What do you remember?”.

“ I was talking to my wife when I heard the gunshots. I had ended the call and walked out of the room. The minute I stepped out of the room, Alexis was at the top of the stairs just waiting for me. “.

“ Okay we'll the police will be here soon, I'll leave you alone now. We'll be back in an hour to check on your injury “ after saying that he walked out. I looked at Teo.

“ We got Two of the guys. One of them spilled the beans,he was scared of going to jail. Said he didn't know that was what Morrison and Peterson planned. They told them they were only going to play a prank on Avery. The guy said they'd been watching the house for the past few days waiting for a chance to get into the house”.

“ Where is she?”.

“ I shot her in the back. She's somewhere in this hospital, Paralyzed and handcuffed to a bed Boss. Also Morrison held a press conference and informed All of Brighton that Zach Morrison was now a felon and was no longer a part of the Morrison family”.

“ Find him. Landon , take her home ”.

“ No. I'm not going anywhere. The only way I'm leaving this hospital room is if you're going home with me”. I looked at her. Yea she had that look in her eyes that said, don't say anything else or I'll regret it.

“ We'll be outside Boss “. After they left she just held my hand.

I didn't say it but when I saw Alexis at the top of the stairs, I knew what would happen. She didn't hesitate to pull the trigger and when she did she started laughing. She said now Avery would have no one. She was about to shoot me again as I was making my way to her when I fell and the last thing I saw and heard was the gunshot and then I blacked out.

My last thought before completely passing out was of her, My princess. I knew if something happened to me she wouldn't take it well,she would probably lose her shit. I didn't care what happened to me ,as long as she was happy and alive that was all I wanted for her. I looked at her, her eyes were red, she had been crying.

“ Come here baby “. I pulled her in and took her mouth.

“ I was scared Jake, I was scared you wouldn't wake up. The thought of spending the rest of my life without you terrified me . In the past nine months you changed my life completely and I don't want to be without you. Please don't ever leave me”.

I held her to me. “ Never baby girl, Never. You won't ever have to be worried. I'll always be here right beside you”.